Overview
- About 23,500 households had payments halted under the pilot and all cases are being rechecked, with reinstatements and back payments where continued UK employment is confirmed.
- Investigative reporting found 46% of families flagged as suspected emigrants were wrongly targeted, including a 78% misidentification rate reported in Northern Ireland.
- HMRC says it will no longer use travel through Dublin to infer emigration under the Common Travel Area.
- New safeguards require a PAYE check and direct contact with claimants before any suspension, with a one-month window to respond.
- Parliament’s Treasury Committee has pressed HMRC for documents and explanations on safeguards and data use after the pilot was credited with £17m in savings.